Flemish nationalist Theo Francken is Flanders’ most popular politician

The former Federal Secretary of State responsible for asylum and migration Theo Francken is Flanders’ most popular politician. That’s according to a poll carried out on behalf of the VRT, the Francophone public broadcaster RTBF and the newspapers ‘De Standaard’ and ‘La Libre’. Mr Francken enjoys the support of more than half of the just over a thousand Flemings that took part in the poll.

Tue 18 Dec 2018 11:23

This is the first time that Mr Francken has topped our poll. The poll was carried out during the period that led up to Mr Francken and his Flemish nationalist colleagues quitting the Federal Government.

51% of Flemings that took part in our poll could envisage voting for Mr Francken. This means that he joins a select club of politicians that have got more than 50% in our poll. In 2003 the socialist Steve Stevaert got 60%, the Liberal Maggie De Block got 29% in 2015, the Christian democrat Yves Leterme got 57% in 2006, the liberal Guy Verhofstadt got 54% in 2008, the Christian democrat Kris Peeters got 54% in 2014 and the Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever got 53% in our popularity poll in 2011.

Earlier this year, the Federal Prime Minister Charles Michel (Francophone liberal) topped a number of polls of the most popular politicians with more than 50% of those questioned saying that they could envisage voting for him.

Mr Michel has dropped back to second place in our poll, ahead of the Flemish Education Minister Hilde Crevits (photo below).